The Hippocratic Oath
by SurgicalHippo
Summary: "I will apply for the benefit of the sick, all measures which are required…" Mercy has to go against her vows and abandon a friend or help her enemy. My take on what happened during the fall of the Overwatch headquarters and afterwards. A series exploring their relationships, ranging from dramatic to fluff with a dash of humor on the side. Mercy76 / CHAPTER 6 - A NIGHTLY VISIT
1. The Angel of Death

**A/N: How Mercy "saves" Reaper from the door of death, an idea inspired by the in-game quotes. Of course I don't own Overwatch.**

Her hands were shaking so much. It reminded her of her first surgery – she was holding the deciding factor between life and death in her hands once again. Only this time she couldn't find the calm, the serenity of mind, which she had been able to maintain during the actual operation. Her fingers fiddled the safety off as she aimed her gun. It wasn't her first time killing someone. After all, she had been a field medic during her time in Overwatch.

But now, it was her who was pointing a gun at someone out of her own volition. It was not self-defense. It was shooting someone in the back.

Could she do it? Her mind felt like crumbling when she saw the pair of men in front of her. Jack was soaking in his blood on the floor and Gabriel glowered above him, his gun pointed at his face. They were her friends, her safety against all the bad in the world, but now one of them had become the bad. Oh Gabriel, how could he do it? Didn't he know how much it hurt her?

Tears blurred her vision. She shut her eyes as her fingers pressed the trigger. There was hardly any recoil from her small pistol, but to her the usually undetectable vibration felt like a rough force ripping her hands apart. She wanted it to miss – that it was all just a dream.

She heard a thud. Opening her eyes slightly, she saw that her bullet was now engraved into the heart of her friend. For once her aim had been perfect. Her legs ran up to the two men lying on the ground and she knelt in front of them.

The red liquid dropping from Gabriel's wound had started conquering the once clean floor. It soaked her white robes in blood, along with her hands. "And you call yourself Mercy", he said, breathing out his last words at her, his voice raspy. Even in death, his eyes looked so intensively accusing.

"Gabriel!" she cried, sobbing into her bloodied hands. Beside her Jack groaned in pain. Her gaze flicking between the two wounded men, she felt helpless. She had to get her equipment. She could still make this right. Her legs stumbled as she tried to get up, too shocked to function properly.

 _"I will apply for the benefit of the sick, all measures which are required…"_

There was an explosion somewhere above them – the shock wave knocked her back to the ground. She could only watch in horror as the buildings of the headquarters started collapsing on top of each other. Another explosion ripped through the air. The sound came from the direction of the medical wing. Her laboratory, the only thing that could save anyone in this situation, might have been destroyed.

She couldn't take it anymore. She ran inside the building, up the floors and dashed through the doors until she finally arrived at her lab. Everything was covered in soot and not much of it was usable under the rumble. Noticing her Valkyrie-suit, she ripped it from under the fallen rocks, detaching a sleeve in the process. By some miracle the wings were not as damaged as she would have thought. Most of her medical equipment was gone though. Her eyes searched the room frantically, trying to find anything that would help. There was the first aid kit in the locker, still undamaged. Her prototype, the one she had been working on for months, was also there. It hadn't been tested yet, but it was her only hope!

As the building shook once again, some grit fell from the opened up ceiling. The whole place was filled with dangerous materials ready to catch on to the fire spreading above her, and it wouldn't amaze her if there were more explosions. The quickest escape route she could think of was the window. And so she jumped through the broken glass, hoping not to splatter on the ground. One of her wings started malfunctioning and she couldn't help but glide through the air in erratic behavior, one hand operating the broken wing and the other holding on to the equipment.

She landed farther away from the men than she had hoped, rushing through the ruins to get to them. She looked at the prototype in her hand. She didn't know if it would work – but more importantly, should she even try to save the man that was the cause of this all?

 _"I will apply for the benefit of the sick, all measures which are required…"_

The Hippocratic Oath. Her chest felt tight. She had sworn to remedy those in need. Afterwards she had told herself that she wouldn't stop until she could heal the whole world. Even he deserved it.

She started her work, fiddling with the prototype and placing it on his heart. She had been successful at recovering dead cells before. Regeneration – it had been the secret of her fame in the field of nanobiotechnology. She had been able to replace cells temporally, giving the body enough time to heal before they were automatically discarded by their programmed apoptosis. She had been trying to advance this to the next step – programming the actual cells of the body to regenerate themselves. It would greatly help curing patients and keep them alive when their bodies try to shut down.

But Gabriel was dead. It would be a miracle if by this point his brain wasn't suffering severe damage, even with the US's Soldier Enhancement Program's effects preventing some of it. The brain needed oxygen, but with the heart wounded, it would be difficult. Angela activated the prototype, her fingers now working with a rushed fever. She just wanted to save her friend.

She only had to hope that the heart started repairing when the needle pieced his skin. It inserted a large amount of microorganisms that would spread throughout his body. She then proceeded by ripping apart one of her wings – she knew the place where the highest voltage was located at, and started stimulating his heart beats until her hands fell on her sides, too tired to continue. She had done everything she could. She laid her head on Gabriel's chest, listening to his heart. Hope glimmered for a short while when it felt like she heard an echo, but was soon gone as nothing else could be heard.

She raised her eyes to the skies. In her working trance, she hadn't even noticed how more explosions had destroyed the headquarters completely. Gone were the towers reaching above the mountains, now only ruins surrounding them. She felt a hand on his shoulder.

She turned to see Jack. His handsome face was now marred by the ugly slice running across his forehead and extending below his eye. The eye itself was only slightly open. It was a miracle that he hadn't lost his sight. She extended her hand, reflectively inspecting the damage before her, but she was stopped by a firm grip on her hand.

Jack looked at her with sorrow. It felt like he had become older by years in just this one event. One betrayal was all it took. "How is he?" he quietly asked with his hoarse voice.

Angela shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes once again. To prevent the sobbing from starting again, she ripped her hand free and started treating his face with the equipment of the first aid kit. They sat there, contemplating the things that had happened in silence, a sob or two occasionally escaping their mouths.

"Listen", Jack started. He had to clear his throat to make any sound come out. "I won't stay anymore. My leadership has lead us here."

Angela's eyes snapped to his face. She didn't really have any more emotions left to offer. "And now you are going to run away?" she asked calmly. When she didn't receive any answer, she continued, "You're not going to take any responsibility?"

Jack looked her in the eye, his features still wrenched into a sorrowful expression. "I… I can't."

Her gaze fell back on the ground, looking at her failed attempt of healing. Already one of the people important to her had left and now the other one was planning on the same. But she wouldn't demand he stay – no, she caused havoc around her, as the body in front of her indicated. She didn't deserve someone like him supporting her.

"Fine", she whispered. She sat there, not raising her gaze, until Jack had disappeared from her side. She collapsed, crying until she had no more tears. Burying her head on Gabriel's chest, she cursed her own inability. Only then did she hear something which caused her to pause. A beat, a heartbeat that certainly wasn't hers. It was very rare, but it was there nonetheless. There were pauses, but it always came.

Eyes round in shock, Angela inspected the man in front of her. It seemed that he was getting better, and then worse. The cycle repeated infinitely, becoming faster and more intensive every time. One second a healthy man was on the ground, the next a dead body replaced him.

Then he started… vanishing. He became transparent, as If all his cells had simultaneously degenerated and died. The prototype she had built dropped right through his chest, detaching, before he appeared concrete again. Angela abandoned everything she had and started running through the rubble, searching frantically for any way to call for help. However, while doing so, helicopters neared the ruins from all directions, surrounding the former headquarters. It seemed that the UN had finally been informed.

The body was never recovered.

 **A/N: I found the struggle between saving your betrayer friend and obeying the Hippocratic Oath to be very interesting! In my version, all of the characters are slightly younger during the downfall since in my version Overwatch was only functional for 23 years. Mercy is also slightly older compared, as I wanted her to be part of the Overwatch for a major part of its existence. In the canon, considering she attracted the attention of Overwatch to her in her mid-20's, she would have only been part of it for 7 years, give or take. (Present day age: 37, Birth: -2 years before Overwatch if the organization was established 35 years ago, meaning when she was 25, the organization had already been running for 23 years out of it's life span of 30. I find this odd because Mercy seems to have been such a prominent character of Overwatch, or at least that's the image I had.)**


	2. The Common Enemy

**A/N: Cue Captain America's backstory… And some fluff! This chapter is essentially Jack's perspective about the things leading up to the event.**

There was fighting among them again. John couldn't help but scrunch his forehead, small lines appearing. Who knew joining the army would be so nerve wracking? And he didn't mean the training – while it was harsh, he was used to hard work. Helping out on the farm had been an everyday task for him and that didn't change much here. However, the people did.

Those two were at it again. He couldn't recall their names, as the training had only begun a few weeks ago, but he knew that there had been rumors of one of them stealing the other's woman or something. The whole camp had been buzzing about it in a worse manner than an old ladies' knitting circle.

He had had enough. He stood up and walked over to the two young men who seemed very close to coming to blows. "You two, stop", he said calmly.

They stopped and stared at the nearing man, dumbfounded that somebody dared interrupt their quarrel. "You said what?" one of them slurred. It seemed that he had also accomplished smuggling booze into the camp. Great. "What's yer name?"

"John Morrison", he answered, arms crossed over his chest.

"Look, Jack, we don't need a farm boy mixing up in our business."

"The name's John. You made it my business by shouting so loudly through the camp that I doubt there's anybody who didn't hear", John said. He did notice how people were gathering on the sides. He even heard a distant chant about fighting, something he was eager to avoid.

However, the two other young men were not as eager. Suddenly their differences were all but forgotten. They nodded at each other before dashing against their new common enemy. While he still bore much of the scrawniness of his teen years, he had been listening to the training and, at this point, wasn't completely unaware of how to fight. A rumble followed, with John struggling to gain the upper hand for a while, but finally emerging as the victor. He stood up, holding both up by their jackets.

"Stand up. If we were at war, you'd be dead by now. Do you not understand how much the alcohol affects you? And your stupid quarrel would weaken the moral of the whole camp", he berated accusingly. He disliked these kind of people, the ones that didn't have a clear cause. While he wasn't that passionate about the army, he found it an interesting experience before returning to the farm. Since he was there, he was going to do everything as best he could.

Their brief fight was broken by an officer calling for attention. It seemed that they had finally been noticed. Jack pulled the two fighters on his both sides, trying to hold them as straight as possible.

"Fighting in the camp this late…" the one usually in command of their training mumbled. He continued with a raised voice, "You there! In the back!"

John Morrison looked around at all the other cadets next to himself before realizing that the shouting was targeted at him. "Yes, sir!" he said, his hand flying to his forehead to salute.

"What is your name?" the officer asked.

"John Morrison, sir", he answered. A nervous prickle of sweat rushed down his cheek.

"Good job, Jack Morrison", their commanding officer said. John had been expecting something bad. Receiving an actual compliment caught him so completely off-guard that he didn't even bother trying to correct his name.

Months passed and so did the training. It was odd how it changed people. The two drunkards from the first weeks had become one of the best of the year. Most of the others had started trying for real. John didn't know what affected them so, but it was at least not his lack of trying. He pushed himself and all the other people around him for results, gaining recognition among his peers and the officers.

He had changed as well. The army actually started meaning something to him and he liked the feeling of being able to change the world, even if he was only an officer. He was no longer the farm boy from Indiana, John Morrison, but "Jack" Morrison, part of the army. The wrong name had stuck to him like glue.

It still came as a big surprise when he was offered a place in the soldier enhancement program. That was where he would meet him for the first time: Gabriel Reyes, another very exceptional senior officer in the army. At first John had felt inferior to the dark skinned soldier, but after befriending him better, they became equals. Good friends on the field and outside of it, trusting their backs to each other.

The last years of Overwatch had been tainted by rumors. They were all painted corrupt, and Jack Morrison not the least. In fact, as the golden face of Overwatch, he was the most sought after "culprit". Listening to the news channel, he wondered, when had the world changed so much. When had those laughable conspiracy theorists swept everyone else along with their crazy theories. Overwatch – corrupt? He personally oversaw anything and everything happening, except for Blackwatch.

Reyes didn't want to disclose anything to him – that was the problem. When had it happened, when had the point been crossed when Gabriel, his best friend Gabe, had become "Reyes", a person to address by their surname? They were like strangers.

Jack turned off the radio he was listening to. The old gadget reminded him of his childhood by the farm. Back then the only care in the world was avoiding stepping in the nastier stuff animals produce.

If only he had remembered how easily people turn on a common enemy sooner.

There was only one person who could cheer him up at moments like this.

He opened the door to Angela's laboratory, finding the doctor hard at work. She was fiddling with something, a small round piece of metal with several small tubes connected to it. Her work place was beyond disorganized, small metallic parts decorating every inch of the surface. Books and papers scribbled with messy handwriting composed the layer below them.

"Hard at work, eh?" Jack said and flashed his trademark smile. It felt a bit empty. He leaned against the doorframe with his arm while observing her. There was no sign of movement other than her lips mumbling quietly and her hands continuing to circle the thing she was working on.

He neared the doctor, leaning to look at her work from behind her. Only then did she notice, clumsily hitting him in self-defense before taking note of his familiar appearance. "Jack!" Her eyes fell on his. "I'm so sorry! Are you hurt? Do you need help?" She immediately almost jumped up from her chair, inspecting every visible inch of him to see if there was something she would need to tend to.

Amused by her antics, a small grin appeared on his face, this time a genuine one. "You did hit me here quite harshly", he said, pointing at his cheek. Worry evident in her eyes she came closer to his face, placing her fingers on the "hurt" spot.

Noticing the mirth in his eyes at that moment, she instead flicked it. Jack let out an exaggerated wince, to which Angela answered, "You shouldn't fool your Doktorin."

Jack held her warm palm against his cheek. " _My_ Doktorin?" Jack asked in a teasing voice.

She didn't withdraw the hand, much to his surprise. "You know what I mean. You're always coming here with your arm bleeding through makeshift bandages. Or your foot tied up in a very odd packaging. Or your clothes so torn up along with your skin that I can't even distinguish where all the wounds are." Her cerulean eyes were so painfully honest that it was him who crumbled first and looked away. His eyes fell on the widget she had been working on.

"You have no patients and you're still cooped up in here", Jack said. The headquarters were getting old and a possible issue with mold was being investigated, which meant moving all of her patients away. The vast structure was empty otherwise as well since there were two major missions going on in Norway against Talon. The only reason he had stayed behind was because he was told that his involvement this time could awaken even more rumors against him and Overwatch. Being grounded by his own organization felt ridiculous, but at least Angela was in the same situation, because she had been overseeing the transportation of the patients the day before.

"I can't make out anything from your scribbles. And I thought my handwriting was bad", he added, after trying to find answers from the papers lying around.

"You know what they say about doctors", Angela said and seated herself, eager to continue her hard work. "If I succeed in making this, it'll revolutionize medicine by far."

Jack leaned in once again to be on the same level with her. "Well, what is it then?"

"I won't tell you until it's ready", she said, a mischievous smirk on her face, further enhanced by Jack's apparent disappointment. He didn't care, though, not as long as she was smiling. That alone felt as good as any nanobiotics surging in his veins could.

She was the only thing untouched by all the taint swallowing up his world, and he intended to keep it that way.

 **A/N: Reviews (and of course favourites and follows) greatly appreciated as I have not written fanfiction before! Also, English is not my native language and all grammar corrections are more than welcome!**


	3. From The Lonely

**A/N: I think jumping back and forwards in time will be quite a common occurrence in my fic (and not just for Tracer), tying in the story of the present day. I hope you enjoy this one!**

 _ **From The Lonely**_

It was a quiet afternoon when they marched in. She had just finished a long surgery. Every second in there was carefully holding together the thread that kept someone alive. Every second counted. It took five hours, but they had finally made it. It wasn't usually as stressful, but today, due to complications, Angela couldn't help but feel like an eternity had passed.

Arriving in her office, she collapsed on the bed reserved for the patients, placing the back of her arm on her head to block out the cold light of the lamps above. Her rest was cut short by footsteps nearing the door. She sighed. Talk about complications.

There was a knock, followed by another.

" _Ja, ich bin da_ …" she muttered to herself and walked to the door with heavy steps. On the other side stood three official looking people - a woman with a briefcase in the front, followed by two men. It annoyed Angela how they behaved like the place belonged to them, walking past her without an invitation.

"Good day, Doctor", the woman said with a very smooth voice, extending her hand for a shake. "Gabrielle Adawe, secretary-general of the United Nations", she introduced herself.

Angela reluctantly shook hands with her. "Doctor Angela Ziegler, although you already know that."

"I see that you weren't prepared for our visit", Adawe marked, taking note of her clothes and disheveled look.

She was still clad in the same clothes as when in the surgery, having only had enough time to dispose of the mask, gloves and the surgical gown. Sneakers paired with the mint-green hospital clothes wasn't the most stylish choice of attire. As a reflex her arms were crossed across her chest in defense. "I will not stop my work just because some warmongers want to disturb me."

"Warmongers? Doctor Ziegler, I think you've understood us quite incorrectly", the secretary said. "We are an organization-"

"Hoping to bring the world to peace. Yes, I have heard this before", Angela completed the sentence. "I admit that you did well during the Omnic Crisis, but I doubt you are needed anymore. Giving an operation of faceless soldiers power can't end up well for any of us."

"Overwatch is not just soldiers, but scientists as well. We have heard of your accomplishments in the field of nanobiology. You could have resources, enough to make even more breakthroughs."

"I have enough resources right now", Angela said. These people sure were adamant.

Adawe let out a small laugh. "You have no idea", she said.

How nice of her to belittle what she had worked hard to acquire. She adressed them coldly, "I don't know what image you're trying to give, but barging in here with two bodyguards in the middle of my day certainly doesn't help the cause."

"Bodyguards?" Adawe looked confused, before realizing what she meant. "Them?" Another laugh. "Surely you've seen them before", she said, turning her attention to the two men. "This man here is the leader of the Overwatch strike team himself, Gabriel Reyes."

The darker skinned of the two, one dressed in black clothes, flashed a grin. "It's a great pleasure to meet you, Angela", Reyes said.

"Please call me Doctor Ziegler", Angela answered dryly.

"Surely I can call you Angela, since you truly are an angel", Reyes said, blatantly flirting. He promptly received an elbowing from the blond man next to him.

"No." Angela delivered her line sternly with a deadpan expression. She couldn't even consider being so friendly with someone she had just met, let alone flirt back.

"So will you join Overwatch?" Adawe asked, apparently becoming impatient.

Her, becoming part of a military organization? It felt like such an insult to her parents. If their deaths had taught her something, it was to stay as far away from war as possible. The young doctor shook her head in refusal. "No." She was content enough where she was.

It seemed that they weren't going to pressure her more. The guests started leaving through the door. The blond who hadn't spoken anything lingered by the doorway as if he wanted to say something. In the end he settled for nodding as good bye before quickly striding away.

Angela sighed in relief and sank into the bed once again. Luckily it was finally the end of her shift. She could head home to sleep. With a book intended for research in her hand, she hung up her work clothes and changed into something more casual, before starting her walk home through a few blocks. She had rented an apartment very close to the hospital in order to be more effective at what she did.

Opening the door to her apartment, it felt too empty. She didn't dislike it per se, but found it somehow much less inviting than the hospital. It had all the comforts she could have ever wanted – her pay grade was high enough for her to afford nearly anything - so that really wasn't the problem. She cooked her food and afterwards ate it as quickly as she could, all the while reading the newest articles on medicine. She wanted to go to her bed as fast she could so that the hours in the hospital would come sooner.

If it wasn't for those people marching in, they surely would have. She couldn't sleep, her mind darting back to this "Overwatch" and their proposition. Was she making a mistake? What if they actually were offering something she should consider?

Her shift wouldn't start for another two hours, but she had already walked over to the hospital. At least she could do some researching and not waste her time in that empty apartment. She shuffled her feet uncomfortably in front of the building. There was someone there, someone she now recognized.

" _Verdammt_ ", she muttered.

The two men from the other day were in front of the building, chattering and drinking from paperboard cups in the crisp winter morning. Luckily for her, she knew the backdoors. She managed to avoid them until her shift ended, and would probably have done so for even longer if she didn't start feeling a tiny bit of pity towards them. They were still there after seven hours, waiting in the lobby. A whole mountain of cups had been assembled next to their bench. For anyone else, they would probably have looked like beggars or something, since they were clad in casual clothing, complete with broken shoes and worn out jackets. It was impossible to think that they were part of the international "peacekeeping" organization.

She walked over to them. "Are you here to see a doctor?"

"No, thank you. We're simply waiting for…" the blond started, apparently having faced the same conversation before. His words faded to a stop when he realized who he was talking to.

"Could I have a private examination?" Reyes asked with a wink of his eyes.

"I didn't bring you here for you to throw out lecherous comments", the blond hissed at the other before turning his attention back to her.

"Are you here to talk about Overwatch?" Angela asked coolly.

"Yes, we are."

"You are", Reyes corrected the other. "I had other things in mind."

"The timing is quite bad. I'm about to go eat as it's my lunch hour", Angela said and was ready to step out of their lives once again.

However, the blond stopped her by standing up and stepping in her path. "Then let us pay for it?" he suggested in a hopeful voice.

"Well, it's about time we got something to eat", Reyes said in agreement, and before Angela had any say, she was being escorted out of the building by the two. Not that she needed anyone to pay anything for her, but they had waited for her for quite a while. It would be polite to at least accept that one offer.

They settled into a nice booth of a small coffee shop slash restaurant. There weren't too many ears around them, which was probably why the blond haired man had led them there. At least that's what Angela thought before Reyes remarked something about the country music playing in the background and the other admitted he liked the place because of the atmosphere.

After ordering the food, Angela finally felt like she might relax a bit. The men were seated opposite to her, much to Reyes apparent displeasure and much to her relief. She had some room to herself and it seemed like they truly did think of it more as a normal outing than a forceful recruitment.

The blond turned his blue eyes to her while extending his hand. "My name's Jack Morrison", he said with a smile. Angela took his offer.

Reyes was very aware of this action. "Hey! Who's flirting now?" he said with jokingly accusing eyes.

"Unlike you, not everything I do relates to making a pass", Morrison remarked.

"Still not fair. I didn't get to shake hands with her", Reyes said with a fake pout and a wishful look then directed at her.

Angela couldn't help but genuinely chuckle at the two of them. Two grown men who both were so very comfortable with each other, even to the point of constantly bickering. She actually found herself enjoying their company, especially since having some was so rare for her these days.

"Why are you laughing?" Morrison asked, confused that their quiet companion actually did so.

"Must be because the two of you are so stupid", Angela said. She was absolutely not going to admit her thoughts.

"Do you know who you are talking to? I am the leader of Overwatch!" Reyes boasted, adding a flex of his trained arms as if it would prove his point.

"Leader or not, you're still too stupid to even wear a cap in the middle of the winter", Angela said as if she was talking to a little child. "So it is no wonder your brain cells have died."

"It cramps my style!" Reyes said. He crossed his arms with an exaggerated harrumph.

Morrison was absolutely beaming beside him. His grin was almost too big to fit on his face as he turned to his comrade in arms. "Reyes, we have to get her on board."

Reyes raised one of his thick dark eyebrows. "I thought you were already impressed by her medical abilities, what with the applied nanobiology nonsense and such."

"Yes. I mean, I was in disbelief when I heard that such a young woman was the head of surgery in a prominent Swiss hospital at the age of 24, but I have to say, her mouth really is the reason why. She can tell you off!" Morrison explained in an excited fashion.

"What? Have you been looking at her beautiful lips as well?" added Reyes, knowing full well his original meaning.

Flattery would get them nowhere. Still, she felt a bit of warmth at their words and couldn't keep the corners of her mouth from turning upwards. Well, maybe it helped just a little.

After their food arrived, the talking was interrupted for just a bit as they all eagerly picked up their forks, some more fancily than others. She swore that she had never seen anyone eat their food as quickly as those two.

"You do know that inhaling the food like air is bad for your health", she said, nodding at their empty plates. She still had over half of hers left.

"You're the doctor", Reyes said as he chucked down his drink. "Will we die now?"

Angela shook her head with a content smile.

"I guess we'll just come visit you if we get any symptoms?" Jack proposed with a hopeful expression.

He was asking permission for them to meet up with her again. Angela did something that surprised even herself. She smiled brightly and said, "I guess you should."

"Well then, I think a phone number would be good so that we can reserve a time!" Reyes said, grabbing the opportunity.

"I don't think so. You know where to find me", Angela said. She realized that the time had been running past and she would soon be late for her shift. Even as head of surgery – no, especially as head of surgery – she couldn't afford being late.

" _Danke, meine Herren_ ", she called out as she slipped back into the white world of winter. Her cheeks felt warm even in the coldness.

 **A/N: Reviews, favourites and follows greatly appreciated, as always! How do you find my portrayals of the characters, both in the past and in the present? Answering the guest review from yesterday, this fanfic will not be focusing on a love triangle, but rather the relationships between all of them and how everything changed over time. I do have an actual plot for the present day as well, and the seemingly one-shot updates will kind of tie the story together. For me this is first and foremost a study of presenting characters. Another update is certainly coming, but I'm not certain when. I'm visiting Germany and might not have a chance to post it.** ** _Auf Wiedersehen, Lieben!_**


	4. Hitting the Bottom

**A/N: This is the last one of the present day flashbacks before the focus shifts away from the destruction of the headquarters. It's a bit shorter, but I hope you enjoy it!**

He wanted to see her again. Jack was on his way to Angela's quarters, when his eyes flicked to a shadow in one of the corners. Odd. The headquarters were supposed to be empty. His eyes scanned the area, but not noticing anything, he thought nothing of it.

Only when he was crossing the ground area between the buildings, did he see someone. Jack could recognize him anywhere, with that arrogant style of walking and black clothes. He was another shadow in his life.

"Reyes", Jack said with a stiff voice, nodding at the other. He was going to pass him, but was stopped by a swift punch to his stomach.

He gasped for air, backing up from the dark skinned leader of Blackwatch. "Is that any way to greet an old friend?"

"An old friend?" Reyes muttered, just loud enough for Jack to hear. "I didn't think you would spit such insolence from your mouth. Not anymore." His black eyes looked even darker than usually, and angry lines decorated his face.

"What?" Jack asked. He knew that Reyes talked behind his back and that they didn't have the best relationship anymore, but he didn't know the gap had widened so much. The black-clad assassin had never been so open about his hatred.

"You parade around, acting as the golden boy of Overwatch, of the whole world, leaving me to do all the dirty work. You hog all the glory to yourself, but in reality you're unable to lead anyone. The only reason you were chosen is your pretty face!" Reyes was nearing him slowly, his face bearing a threatening expression.

Jack didn't move. He wouldn't back away.

"And now that the world is shouting at you and Overwatch, what do you do? Try to remedy our image? You should have started already doing that years ago, when the organization started showing signs of crumbling. Overwatch is now rotten without proper leadership."

"I've been trying my best", Jack said, deep lines appearing on his forehead as he frowned. "You're the problem with your Blackwatch. I have no idea what is going on in your compartment."

"Why would I need to tell such an incompetent leader? The mission today shows how you're just a puppet. Playing home while the others fight for you. If I had been the leader of Overwatch, I could have actually done something for the good of the world. But here we are, chaos still erupting all around the globe, more people turning against us day by day."

Jack felt a pit in his stomach.

"Maybe you were good in your youth, when we fought together. When Overwatch was still just us against the world. But that's when I was the leader. When you fought how I told you to. That's all you're good at, _Jack_. Being a soldier."

No… He had to say something. It wasn't true what Reyes was saying. They were now face to face, and Jack could almost sense all the anger dripping from him. He knew another punch was coming his way, seeing how Reyes' muscles tensed. He managed to defend himself from it, but the next one hit him right in his gut. He fought back, fists clenched tighter than ever before.

They wrestled on the floor, both trying their best to gain the upper hand. In their youth they were always equal, their score of wins even most of the time, but Jack knew that some of what Reyes had been saying was true. He was rusty. His swings weren't as quick and accurate as they should be, and with Reyes striking him with a mix of anger and skill, he had no escape. He was pinned down.

"I am going to shut down your dear organization. The end of Overwatch is long due. A new order will rise, one which actually makes a difference. And it will all start here, with you, falling upon the floor of the old, marking the end of an era. You will die alone in this empty base, buried beneath the rubble of the fallen headquarters, while Talon distracts the ones actually capable of fighting."

Jack's eyes widened at the realization. "You don't mean…"

"I've planted bombs around the facility", Reyes said with a sadistic grin spreading on his face.

Jack put all his strength in pushing him back and successfully managed to retrieve the gun strapped to his belt, only for it to be knocked back by Reyes. Jack cursed himself for walking around with such light weaponry. It was another proof how Reyes' words actually did apply to him. How could he, the leader of Overwatch, be so casual and make mundane mistakes? He could only hope that Angela had left the building…

"First, let's see your only good asset get destroyed", Reyes said and pulled out a knife. The sharp edge was pointed at Jack's face, and he couldn't help but squint as it neared his eyes. With one decisive strike, Reyes slashed it across, from Jack's forehead to his cheek.

The blinding pain made him cry out. The eye near the slash had barely been avoided. Blood started flowing down, painting his face in red.

"How does it feel now, pretty boy?" Jack could see Reyes standing up, towering above him. He now had his double guns. One of the massive, black killers was pointed at Jack's face. He could only look up the barrel staring straight back at him.

Reyes kicked his ribs, not pleased by his unresponsiveness. "Don't you have anything to say?"

"You really were my friend."

A shot rang through the air. Something clattered upon the ground. Jack waited for the darkness to claim him, but it didn't. Instead, Reyes started falling forward, right next to him.

It was her. His angel was standing there, the pistol in her hands and tears in her eyes. Jack's eyes widened in shock.

She looked so lost, dashing back inside the building despite explosions starting to ripple through the air around them. Jack wanted to tell her to leave it and save herself, but she was already gone. But of course she would do anything to save them. It was her, after all. The famous Doctor Angela Ziegler, who would never abandon anyone. The one who would try to heal the whole world.

And she truly did try. The prototype from the day before, the one she had looked at with such enthusiasm, was now strapped to Reyes chest. It didn't work. To think that the object that was tied to his last happy memories was now associated with only sadness.

Jack just sat there. He had failed at everything, but still Angela was there to comfort and help him. He didn't deserve someone like that. It would be better if Angela could go back to her old life, dealing with patients and discovering magnificent new ways of helping others instead of being tangled in the tainted web that Overwatch had become. His leadership was at fault. Reyes had been right.

It was time to leave.

Jack looked at the bottom of the glass. He took a swing and the alcohol burned through his throat. He didn't know if he liked it or not, but it was now his only companion.

 **A/N: Edgelordy enough? Feedback is very much appreciated and I would like to thank everyone who has already given me some! I hope to present all the characters with understandable reasons for their actions. I will probably be exploring Reaper's side of the events as well later on. Is the chapter length okay? It will probably vary a lot in the future.**


	5. To Becoming a Part of the Family

**A/N: This somehow became a big chapter… I simply wanted to wrap up the initiation of Mercy within this one. Companion piece to chapter 3, "From The Lonely". Hope you enjoy it, please review!**

Angela sat in a comfy chair. Or at least "comfortable" had been the word they had sold it to her with. She kept changing her position every few seconds, making concentrating on the medical article a nigh impossibility. It had been such a nice chair, too, at least in the store. A sigh escaped her lips. She would have to pick up that article again when she was back at the hospital.

The TV was on, constant babbling coming from the screen. She didn't really know what the program was as she wasn't actually facing the TV. Something about cooking and omnics.

There was a knock on the door. How odd, she thought. Maybe someone from the hospital was coming to see her. Nobody else really knew her. She opened the mahogany door, finding a snow-covered figure standing outside her apartment.

" _Herr_ Morrison", she acknowledged him, raising one of her eyebrows in confusion.

"Doctor Angela Ziegler", he nodded, a few snowflakes falling off his cap. "There was no light coming from your apartment and I was wondering if maybe you had the night shift. It wouldn't have surprised me to find you at work even at such a late time."

Angela ignored his words and stepped out the apartment herself, leaving the door only slightly open in order to block his view. " _Herr_ Morrison, since when do you know where I live?" Her voice bore a hint of accusation.

"I might have checked some databases and ran a background check on you", he said sheepishly, scratching his neck with his gloved fingers.

"And why are you here in the middle of the night?"

"Ah… Gabe's orders?" he suggested as an answer. "We've been away for quite a while and he thought it would be nice to come see you. We've been on a mission for a week which is the reason why we've been so absent.

"So, where is he then?" Angela asked, craning her neck to see behind the tall man in front of her. "I thought people like you two only came in pairs. Like shoes, really."

"Thanks. The thing is, he might have his foot packaged up right now, which is why he sent me as the messenger", Morrison explained.

" _Ah so_ ", Angela said with a nod of her head.

They stood there in the silence while snowflakes fell around them, covering the dull grey of the city in a white veil. At least for a while it would be pure before all the fumes colored the ground dirty again. Angela stared at the man in front of her. He had been smiling faintly throughout their conversation. Shouldn't he now be leaving? She did notice how his nose had a reddish tint to it, indicating that he was, indeed, cold. He should probably take a break to warm up before heading back to wherever he came from.

Where could he do that though? Most coffee houses and shops were closed that late. She squinted her eyes suspiciously at him. So he was waiting for permission to enter her home? "You're welcome to come inside", Angela reluctantly said. "I have to warn you, there have never been any guests here. It might not be the most heartwarming home there is."

Morrison grinned as best he could with his numbed mouth. A twinkle in his eyes told Angela that he was very pleased that she had caught on. "So you've been staying in here for four years and not once have you had guests over?" he asked incredulously while taking off his coat. The white snow fluttered on her door, leaving puddles behind.

"Four years? You really did do a background check on me", Angela said, disregarding his quip while staring at the dripping water. Hopefully it wouldn't damage the floor too much.

"Entered medical school when sixteen, graduated at the age of twenty, has worked at the nearest hospital for four years, earning the place of head of surgery, in addition to writing medical articles that have astonished the whole world", he listed. "Very impressive."

Angela shrugged as an answer to his compliment. "A lot of work can get anyone anywhere."

"Speaking of work, did you just come from the hospital?"

"I did not", Angela answered. "Why?"

"You still have your doctor coat on", Morrison noted. "Or do you never take it off?"

Angela immediately discarded the piece of clothing, folding it and throwing it on the sofa. "I do stuff other than work sometimes."

Again he just smiled lightly as an answer. "Why is it so dark in here?" he pressed some of the switches near the door and a few lights lit up. He started down the hallway leading away from the door and arrived in the living room. "Didn't know you were a fan of ice hockey", he said.

The program had switched from a cooking show to a match on ice. "I'm not", she said, hurrying to the remote and turning the TV off.

"I do the same with the radio", Morrison said with a smile.

"You do what?"

"Just leave it on when alone. It reminds me that there are still other people." Instead of looking at her face, he was now conquering her kitchen. She did not like this at all. Why was he behaving in such a relaxed manner in her house? She was on her way to stop him when he turned his head at her.

"Can I make some hot chocolate?" he said, pointing at the machine meant for it. It managed to disrupt Angela's train of thought. Warming him up faster would be the best way to get him out quickly so she agreed. "How does it work then?"

"I don't know", Angela said honestly. She had never used it.

Morrison took a long look at her, making her feel uncomfortable. His blue eyes looked dark underneath the heavy frown of his forehead. He soon turned back to the machine, looking around it until he seemed to figure something out. When some time had passed, he had actually managed to produce two cups of smoking hot chocolate with cream on top and all. He passed the other to Angela who accepted it politely. Now he even knew how to operate the hot chocolate machine better than her. She sighed in her mind.

What annoyed her even more was how he immediately afterwards went to sit in her comfortable chair, claiming her earlier spot for himself. He practically sunk in, a content smile on his face. How come he found it so comfortable? She took the sofa next to him.

He looked tired, the military uniform covering most of him, but seemed awfully cheery while sipping from his cup. "You have new scars", Angela said, noticing a few fresh red lines crossing over his face. "Are they from your last mission?" They made him look a bit rough. Without realizing she had leaned in and was now inspecting them. She withdrew her hand. He was definitely not one of her patients.

"They'll heal in no time", he said with a mock voice of bravery. "Thank you for your worry though. I could use a doctor like you. We all could."

She couldn't resist the urge to roll her eyes. He had to take it there. "Of course, that's what this is about."

"It's always about that", he said, looking straight at her with such piercing eyes. "Overwatch." He was now looking at her like a hawk, so very intensively.

"I'll never join", Angela said sternly. "I'm happy where I am now."

"A lot of work can get anyone anywhere. Even you into Overwatch." Morrison placed his empty mug on the table. He knew his remaining time was getting short, the colour on his nose already returning to normal. She would soon make him leave and they both knew it. He still had to try. "Why can't you accept us fighting for the greater good?"

"Fighting…" She couldn't hold back a sigh. "There are so many sicknesses in this world, weakening and killing us, making us into only shells of our former selves. War has the same effect - I can't understand why anyone would deliberately take part in something like that."

He seemed slightly desperate, struggling to find the right words. "But don't you have something worth actually fighting for?"

"I will apply for the benefit of the sick, all measures which are required…" Angela quoted, leaving the sentence hanging in the air.

"That's from the Hippocratic Oath, isn't it", Morrison guessed, apparently vaguely recognizing it.

She nodded. "When I first took my vows, it struck me. I was going to devote my whole life to it, heal the whole world. And I have lived by it, affecting the people of my hospital positively. Why are you so keen on inviting me?"

"I feel like you truly could heal the whole world. You don't have to stop here if you come with us." Angela could see his adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed the last of his drink. "I am so keen because I want to gather the good people together to make the world a better place. I feel like that's my purpose. It's what I live for."

"So you want to carry the whole world on your shoulders", Angela said.

"So do you", Morrison said, looking sharply at her, challenging her.

"I'm still not joining Overwatch."

"I was counting on that", Morrison said. He stood up and looked down at her with a mischievous grin. "You don't want me to stay the night, do you?" Before she had a chance to answer, he was already striding back to the hallway, making her hurry after him. "Two pairs of shoulders are still better than one pair", he said while putting on his winter clothing and opening the door. "Good night, Doctor Angela Ziegler!" The door slammed shut. He was gone before she had the chance to respond.

She turned the TV on again. A goal for Canada. The booming voice of the sportscaster echoed through her now fully lit apartment as she sank back into her chair - the "comfortable" one. There was still a lingering warmth remaining from its previous user.

What an irritating man. Such strong opinions and so adamant. And his dreams were so ridiculous. But still she couldn't help but listen to the tiny voice in her mind whispering to her - if there was somebody who would be able to do it, it would be him. Him and his Overwatch.

She sank deeper and sipped her mug of hot chocolate. Without realizing, her lips had curved up to a smile.

The next time she heard from them was in the middle of the night, three days after Morrison's surprise house visit. She was lying beneath the blanket and almost jumped out of her skin at the sudden sound coming from her table. Her phone was ringing.

She stared at it for a second before answering, bracing herself for an emergency call from the hospital. It was indeed one, an emergency call, but not from who or where she had expected it to be from.

"Angela!" the voice on the other side cried out in panic. "You need to come here", he said. It took her brains a few seconds to connect the rough voice with the face of Reyes.

"Reyes? What is the matter?" she asked in a collected manner. "And call me Doctor at least."

"Something's happened - with Jack."

"Jack? Do you mean Morrison? Please explain the matter more clearly", she requested. She had jumped out of her bed and was now wandering around the room, holding the phone to her ear. The panic was infecting her feet with restlessness.

"He- There's something wrong with him", Reyes said with a tremble in his voice. "You need to come here - you're the only one who can help us in this situation. Please."

Her feet came to a full stop. Angela then started for the nearest decent clothing and threw her doctor's coat on top of them. "How do I get there?"

"We've sent a helicopter to the hospital."

She shut down her phone and started running for the door, cursing herself that for once she hadn't been working overtime. It would take her too long to get to the hospital. The way itself was dangerous as well - icy patches covered by slow made her boots slip and slide as she strode through the dimly lit streets.

Finally she arrived at the rooftop and boarded a helicopter with the logos of the United Nations and Overwatch on it. The ride wasn't long - just over a mountain range and they were already there. The base was at least three times the size of the hospital and while most of it was under construction, the grandness of it all made her eyes widen slightly. So this was how much money they were willing to throw at a military organization.

Landing on the courtyard, she jumped off and frantically searched for Reyes. She did see him - a figure dressed in a black parka - waving at her from the entrance of a nearby building.

"What is it?" she asked once in hearing range, out of breath from running to him.

Reyes opened the door for her and she followed him over to a sofa - on top of which lied the star of the emergency, Jack Morrison.

Angela knelt before the sofa to inspect him, looking at any apparent damage on his body and then checking his heartbeat. Everything looked and sounded normal. He was soundly asleep, a relaxed snore escaping his mouth every once in awhile. Only at this point did she look at Reyes who sat next to her on the floor. His eyes were silently laughing at her along with his grinning mouth.

"There's nothing wrong with him", Angela noted in a dangerously calm voice. The adrenaline was still running through her veins, thrumming along her heart. "But you already knew that, didn't you." A slap sounded through the room.

"I really do deserve a prize for that acting! How about a kiss?" Reyes asked and rubbed his hurt cheek. "Oh, Angela, please help!" he imitated himself from before, clearly exaggerating. Now that she focused her attention on him, she noticed that he slightly reeked of booze.

"Why would you worry me with such a thing in the dead of the night?" Angela said and buried her face in her hands. She didn't know if she should be relieved or not that there had been no real emergency. Her heart was still beating far too quickly for her to calm down.

"Doctor Ziegler?"

She uncovered her face only to face the blue eyes of Jack Morrison. Very confused eyes. He was now aware of the two people by his temporary sleeping spot.

"You see, Jack wanted you to visit this place", Reyes started explaining with a grin, "It was his idea originally. He wanted to show you the "family spirit" of Overwatch, or some mumbo-jumbo like that. He just didn't know how to get you here, so I helped just a bit."

"I was getting around to asking her", Morrison told Reyes with an irritated growl.

"Well, I actually get things done. Just a quick phone call about golden boy here being hurt and she's on her way", Reyes said with a shrug. Angela wanted to wipe the smug grin off his face with another slap, but restrained herself.

"You didn't! You've been drinking, haven't you", Morrison noted and leaned backwards again in defeat, casting an apologetic look at Angela.

"Well, you started sleeping. It was boring", Reyes said, shrugging again. "What else could I do?"

"I'm afraid I might be partly at fault here", a new voice said. Angela turned around to see an Egyptian woman in her late thirties standing behind her, previously unnoticeable. She was beautiful, black hair cascading down her shoulders and framing her perfectly proportioned face. There was an odd tattoo around one of her dark eyes. She continued talking with a heavy accent, "I was very interested in seeing who exactly this famous Doctor Angela Ziegler was, especially after hearing Jack go so crazy about recruiting you."

"We could always use a good doctor", Morrison defended his efforts.

"Are you saying my first aid on the field isn't good enough?" the Egyptian woman asked with a frown, leading to a rigorous shaking of heads from both Morrison and Reyes. It seemed like they actually did respect her. Or maybe fear, Angela couldn't tell which. "Ana Amari, part of Overwatch", she introduced herself. "I first gave him some drinks and then encouraged him to get you here, even if it was by a prank call. For that, I apologize."

Angela nodded. She didn't really know how to feel about that. The apologizing was welcomed, but her heart was still rushing.

"Seriously Ana, I was going to invite her to see the equipment", Morrison mumbled with an annoyed glance targeted at the Egyptian. He had somehow already managed to shake off all the sleepiness and was now stealing glances at both the doctor and his usual companions.

"I'm sorry for ruining your date." The older woman flicked her wrist as if trying to dismiss the subject and turned to address Angela again. "Now that you're here, you must join us", Amari said and pulled her up with a surprising amount of strength. She led her to a big common room with some other people. She realized that they were the other agents of Overwatch. What felt odd to her was that even though they had space, everyone had packed themselves around a small table. They were playing cards with wild shouts and drinks.

With her slipping quietly into one of the corners, Angela's arrival wasn't noticed much. A quiet man next to her simply grunted as a greeting before turning back to his cards. She was free to stay back and observe what was happening.

Most of them were probably already near passing out judging by their reddish cheeks and loud laugh. They chatted and bantered amongst themselves like good friends. Angela realized that these people really trusted their backs to each other. Rationally, it was no wonder that people on the battlefield would be so close outside of it as well, since they risked their skins beside each other daily. She didn't really catch all of their jokes nor did she know what insane rules they used during their games, since it looked totally random to her. It didn't mean she had a bad time, though.

She had to wonder, was this what a family felt like? A cozy group of people so very comfortable with each other, even if they were from all around the world, from different backgrounds...

The night did end soon, people dispersing in different directions, carrying and supporting each other through the darkened hallways. In the end even Reyes and Amari left. In the most absurd style Amari flung the bigger man on her shoulder and then proceeded to carry him away like a ragdoll, wishing good night to the remaining two.

Morrison stood up, ready to lead her to the guest quarters which he had promised earlier in the evening since it was far too late for her to return to the town. They walked through countless doors, Angela following the slight bobbing of his blond head as she strode behind him. There were a lot of taped windows and empty rooms indicating just how incomplete the place was.

When they finally stopped in front of a white door, Morrison faced her again. He bore a very hopeless look in his eyes when he spoke. "I feel like I can't apologize enough for what happened. I tried, but now those fools did something like that, something so idiotic, and you'll never join us. We must all seem like stupid drunkards." He sighed heavily. "I'll arrange a transportation for you first thing tomorrow morning."

Utterly defeated, he turned around and was about to start walking away when Angela suddenly stopped him by grabbing his arm. "I'll come see the equipment tomorrow." She then left him standing in the hallway and entered her small room. She didn't know why she did it. Was it the look in his honest eyes? Or had the tiredness mixed up her brain? Did she just miss the warmth of company that she had felt?

After taking a quick look around the accommodations, she peeked her head out to see if he was still there. The blond was still staring at her, or where she used to stand, his mouth slightly open in surprise.

She smiled warmly at him. "I'm glad you're well", she said before disappearing again. In the end she was very happy that there had been no emergency, prank call or not. In fact, she was very happy at everything.

"Were you waiting for me here the whole night or did you just not sleep for even a bit?" Angela had opened her door and was instantly greeted by Morrison standing in the same spot he had been at the night before. She had vaguely noticed how he already bore dark circles under his eyes yesterday, but now he looked like he had been left for dead or something.

"I had to write a report", he explained while catching an escaping yawn with his hand.

"That's bad for your health."

Morrison muttered something inaudible and led her towards one of the partly completed buildings. He did a fine job of presenting all of the healthcare equipment or at least trying to. If he didn't know they were used for, he would just say "that round junk" or "odd bottle-box hybrid" to which Angela would answer "that one's used for quick magnetism scans" or "it's for gauging the levels of hybridization".

Looking at the fancy devices around her, she had to admit – she could accomplish a lot more here than in the hospital, especially if she put even more time into the research. She didn't admit that to Morrison though. She could feel his eyes on her, those two hopeful but tired orbs. After his fortieth yawn, she felt like forcing him to sleep on one of the unused patient beds.

Their tour ended back at the common room, where a late breakfast slash brunch was being offered. This time nearly all of the people were sober. However, that didn't flatten the atmosphere. Everyone was still laughing and discussing the food and last night.

This time Angela didn't manage to go as unnoticeably as before. In fact, when she entered the room, every mouth was shut and all eyes were on her.

She cleared throat. " _Guten Tag_. I am Doctor Angela Ziegler from the nearby Swiss hospital. You may have heard about me before, as I have done some valuable research on cellular level and nanobiology."

" _Herzlich willkommen!_ " shouted a gigantic man sitting at the other head of the table. "Will you be joining us?"

"She's only here to take a look around", Morrison filled in.

"Woah, Morrison", a short man with a beard called out, "you didn't drink at all and you're still worse off than any one of us."

"I wouldn't say that - did you see Reyes?" someone remarked.

"He's still not here - and neither is Ana", the gigantic man answered.

"They must still be stuck to their beds. Someone should borrow a water bucket and give them a cold wake up. Maybe some permanent marker doodling?"

"Definitely up for it", said someone at the left side of the table - there were so many people that Angela had difficulties recognizing who said what. The suggestion did get a lot of support around the table all in all.

Angela was beckoned to sit next to the giant who also spoke German, although not in a Swiss accent. She discovered that the man in question, Reinhardt Wilhelm, was from Stuttgart, Germany, which explained his greeting. During the conversation she first tried keeping her professional attitude up as she was unaware of how to speak with the others now that they weren't all drunk to the boot. However, in just a few moments she had already unconsciously slipped into a more familiar mode since everyone talked to her as a person and not just as a doctor.

They weren't as interested in her work as in herself. She shared her brief life story, and in return got to hear some odd and wonderful stories about how to others had found themselves in the quirky group of Overwatch. There were people from all around the world and from different backgrounds as well - not just soldiers, either. She immediately recognized some of the leading scientist, most of which had just started working for the organization. There were numerous verifications that she would indeed get any equipment she asked for and her work would be valuable to all the lives the activity of Overwatch concerned - in other words, to everyone in the world.

At the end of the semi-breakfast, she didn't know what to think. The promises all felt so amazing and grand - such a change from her ordinary life. She felt a bit saddened when everyone left the table, scattering to do other things and possibly recover from their remaining hangover (such as in the case of Amari and Reyes who had arrived later while holding their heads in pain). It had been so nice to simply talk to people.

Her head was buzzing, so she walked outside in her parka, breathing in the cool fresh air. The snow was again falling from the sky, very slowly, soft flakes landing on the tip of her nose. It made her smile along with the fact that from the corner of her eye she saw that Reyes had started using a black knitted cap. Maybe he realized that he couldn't possibly afford losing any more brain cells to the cold.

Angela heard the door close and turned around. Morrison had stepped outside behind her, now wearing his thick military coat and a cap that framed his head with fur, reaching to cover his ears. He immediately directed his blue eyes at her. She had dreaded this moment.

He was quiet for a second. Another one. A third one. Finally he swallowed heavily before posing the question. "Will you join Overwatch?"

"I am a pacifist", Angela said, her voice almost taking a hopeless note. She really didn't know anymore. Should she join or not?

"You don't need to fight. We'll do it for you."

Angela fiddled with her fingers. "I mean… All the equipment you have here is life-saving, and it would really help my work. And maybe I could accomplish more than usually." By this point she was muttering into her woollen scarf. It was just part of the truth. She didn't want to return to her dark and empty apartment after such a cozy experience. Was this how home felt? She didn't want to give it up. And it was oh so easy to believe that she might change the world for better, especially while looking into Morrison's hopeful eyes, the striking blueness pleading her to join.

" _Verdammt_ …I will join", she finally stammered out. "Because of the equipment", she added in a hurry. Definitely nothing else. But it would be nice to spend more time with the others...

A grin spanning from ear to ear took over Morrison's face. "Because of the equipment", he repeated, "And you can ask for anything you need, anything. I'm sure the higher ups of UN will grant everything you ever need. We all will."

The scary realization of how her life would change descended upon her, at least until she simply discarded all uncertainty. She had made her decision and would not wallow on it anymore. She would heal the world - even if it was with the help of a military group.

Starting with this person. While he appeared beyond happy, she did realize that he was struggling. She had noticed dark circles below Morrison's eyes the day before, but had been too distracted to actually think anything of it at the time. Now that her sharp eyes mapped his face and motions, she berated herself for not interfering with his state earlier. He certainly hadn't slept last night, his motions far too uncertain and heavy.

"Then as your doctor, my first prescription for you will be to sleep until you can't anymore", Angela said in her most professional voice. Nobody in her care should be in that condition.

"Thanks, Doc."

 **A/N: You could say that Morrison had his sights on her! Ha! No? Okay. What do you think about the chapter? Please review! Also, which one would you like to see Mercy paired up with? In addition to 76 and Reyes, I see a lot of Pharah and Genji pairings around as well! I might focus a bit on those characters… when their turn comes of course. Mainly on the friendship and general relationships between all the characters though. Because who doesn't like friendship and unicorns and killing your best friend?**

 **It happened that Ana Amari was revealed/released just before I released this chapter which was written a long time ago. So far I haven't seen anything about her clashing with my version of her, so I didn't change anything!**


	6. John

**Hello! Sorry for being such a lazy updater, hope you still enjoy the chapter! Fluff 'n' stuff!**

A month after the explosion of the Swiss Headquarters

Angela was working overtime - it was kind of nostalgic. Her equipment was gone. All that was left was the malfunctioning Valkyrie suit with no repairs in sight. She would have to scrape the new parts together by herself and fix the broken wing before having any chance of seeing the battlefields again. And so she was stuck in the same hospital she left from for Overwatch over twelve years ago, watching over the patients moved from the headquarters and performing her duties as one of the surgeons available.

She never would've thought the white walls of the hospital could feel so confining. She did receive daily messages and updates from the other members - most of them for the worse. It seemed like the whole world had finally given in to the propaganda. There were riots breaking out and discussions about taking away most of the funding provided for Overwatch were already going on. Everything began falling apart after the destruction of the headquarters.

She headed down the streets. They were busier than usually, with Christmas nearing and all. She had already gotten some of the presents for her closest friends in Overwatch. Although they probably wouldn't be opened on time. Maybe before midsummer, she thought and let out a mix of a laugh and a sigh. Stepping up the hill, she could see her apartment. It was still the same one as when she had left - she had decided against selling it and instead had had some tenants in there from time to time.

The key turned around, unlocking the door. She cleaned the snow off her shoes before stepping inside. That's when she noticed something moving in the corner of her eye. Not panicking, at least not visibly, she fiddled with the door for a moment. She knew she should've asked for some protection from Overwatch, especially during these unstable times. Too late for that now. One of the more radical rioters could've broken in. She kept her moves steady, shutting the door but not flicking on the lights.

There it was. A movement somewhere behind her on the right side.

She elbowed the attacker and her hand immediately flew to her waist, searching for her pistol. Unfortunately it was safely tucked away next to her Valkyrie suit, both in the hospital locker. Cursing silently in her mind, she didn't have any other choice than to defeat them with bare arms. Despite the bad visibility in the darkness, she managed to throw her body weight at the other, making them fall down. To keep them from attacking, she straddled her legs around their body and arms.

"What do you want", she asked coldly. The attacker was larger than her. She needed a weapon, something to defend herself with if they decided to move. A kitchen knife would be the closest option.

"Angela", a voice quietly pleaded.

Her eyes widened in the darkness. Her fingertips felt around the attacker's face, around the familiar chin she knew so well. "Jack", she whispered, letting herself fall on top of him. She was still keeping him immobilized, this time in a tight hug. She couldn't help the tears starting to stream down her cheeks, dampening the clothes he wore. "I'm so happy to see you", she quietly admitted with all her heart.

"Happy? Aren't you sad to see me?" Jack asked. He managed to free his arms and wrap them around her waist, embracing her back.

"Oh Jack, why would I be sad to see you?" Angela asked and tightened her grip even more. She wanted to forget all of her mistakes in the familiar warmth of his body.

"My actions have led us to this disaster", he said.

"I'm at fault just as much. Reyes…" Angela's voice trailed off and they remained on the floor of the hallway in silence. Slowly, little by little, her heart rate started going down from the initial surprise. Soon she could make out Jack's heart, pumping lively beneath his shirt. It was so nice to know that at least one of them was there and alive. She would have liked to listen to that sound for the whole night.

Jack moved a little beneath her, his hand shifting on the small of her back. "How long are you going to keep me locked down?" he grumbled. "Not that I… it's not that I would mind, but I think you're blocking the circulation to my other arm."

"Until I know you aren't going to disappear", Angela answered, stealing a few more moments in the warmth before retreating back to her feet. She switched the lights on and was beyond relieved to finally see his face, the blond hair and blue eyes that had evaded her for the past month. At least until her eyes fell on the scar crossing his face and she realized that it was still heavily inflamed. In fact, the whole man looked ready to collapse, dark circles framing his eyes and his hair falling a little flatter than usual.

"Why are you here? Are you hurt?" Angela asked, scouting his skin for any visible injuries.

"No."

Angela narrowed her eyes at the answer and did even more so when the man in front of her clearly avoided her gaze. She grabbed his arm and led him to the sofa, forcing him to fall down. She followed suit, settling next to him. The slash that was soaking him in blood the last time she had seen him was in bad condition, but there wasn't much she could do. With the healing already so far along, it would leave a gruesome battle mark on his handsome face. The only thing she could do was to cover it with an alleviating cream to remove the red inflammation.

She did notice a new scent on him - one that made her wrinkle her nose in disgust. "Have you been drinking? You of all people?"

His eyes looked pleadingly at her. "I didn't know what to do."

She couldn't stay mad at him for long, not when he was using his eyes to defuse her so effectively. She would bring it up later. For now, she settled for an acknowledging nod in his direction. "I'll get some cream", she said and walked to her bathroom.

He had better be there when she came back. There was this dreadful feeling in her stomach that he would leave her as well - like her parents, like so many people from Overwatch - abandoning her to a life of solitude. Because of this she she rushed back, almost running through the short corridor.

He was still there, lying on the sofa. His eyes were now closed and his breathing steady. Jack was soundly asleep. Angela kneeled over to his level and arranged the pillows under his head so that his neck wouldn't feel too stiff when waking up. She took an extra blanket from the closet, carefully covering him, before placing the bottle and some swipes on the nearby table.

Sitting in her old, comfortable chair, she watched his face. She didn't know if he was at peace - she certainly wasn't, not after the recent events. His face simply bore such a relaxed expression that she couldn't help but smile softly.

Angela woke up to the feeling of being stared at. Slightly opening her eyes, she saw two bright blue orbs watching her.

Jack looked like a little boy caught stealing, eyes widening when he realized he had been discovered. He was sitting on the sofa next to her. She had fallen asleep on her comfortable chair, which really wasn't that comfortable to sleep in as indicated by the sharp pain in her neck.

He was still there. That was something she couldn't help but smile at. He didn't turn his eyes away, but looked a bit confused by her reaction.

"Good morning, Jack", she softly said.

He cleared his throat and finally withdrew, leaning back and averting his gaze to the floor. "Good morning", he mumbled and ruffled his already messy hair.

Remembering her intention of cleaning the wound on his face, Angela grabbed the swipes and started hovering over him, carefully touching the reddened skin.

"Do you know my name?" he asked quietly.

Angela stopped for a second and looked at him in confusion. His eyes were downcast. "Jack Morrison."

"That's not my given name", he admitted. "It's actually John. John Morrison. People just took to calling me Jack in the army. But I'm no longer the leader of Overwatch nor part of the army." He looked back up at her in a mix of hope and desperation. "Could you call me John from here on?"

"It doesn't matter what your name is, not to me. You'll always be one of the bravest men I've ever known", Angela answered sternly.

"Please. I feel lost, because all that I have is my identity in the army."

"John", she said, tasting the name on the tip of her tongue. It felt weird calling him that. A calmness set upon his face at the mention of the name. Angela continued her work, opening the cream bottle. "John, would you like to have some hot chocolate?" she asked, recalling their first meeting at the apartment.

He let out a small laugh, apparently remembering it as well. "If you know how to use the machine. I wouldn't mind some coffee either."

After finishing, she set out to dust off the old apparatus standing on the kitchen table. It still worked just fine even after standing idle for more than a decade. A silence had now fallen over them, except for the sound of Angela pouring water and other ingredients into the machine. When it started humming quietly, she couldn't help but finally blurt out the biggest question in her mind. "Why are you here?"

Morrison's eyes trailed over to her. "You never were one for talking about the weather. Straight to the point." He bore a soft but melancholic smile on his face.

"Sorry", Angela quietly said. Maybe it was too inconsiderate of her to just ask that. "How has the weather been?"

"You don't have to do that for me", Morrison said. He let out a heavy sigh that made his form crumple as if he was carrying the weightiest of burdens. "My life really doesn't have any meaning any more. I'm a dead man walking. Now that Reyes is gone-"

"He's alive", Angela interrupted him, earning a surprised expression from Morrison.

"What?"

She took a sharp breath in in preparation of what was to come. "Kind of. I think. At least his cells are." Angela explained how she had seen him regenerate and degenerate over and over again. "I think I might have succeeded in starting the healing of the cells, but then the apoptosis transferred to every single one of them as well. Now his body is stuck in a cycle."

It took Morrison awhile to process through this information. "You're quite calm about all this."

"I've had time to think about it. He might have been able to regain his consciousness and memories if the healing part was intense enough. And I think he did. His body had disappeared before help came", Angela said.

"Are you sure he didn't just permanently die, dead cells scattered to the wind? We might be chasing just a ghost here", Morrison said with slight desperation evident in his voice.

"Do you think someone like Gabriel would just die?"

Jack or John, whatever the battle worn soldier now called himself, nodded in thought. "You're right. He wouldn't. This changes everything."

Their conversation was interrupted by noise coming from the machine, indicating that their hot drinks were ready to be served. Angela brought the other one to John and started carefully sipping hers. It was too hot and slightly burned her tongue.

Beside her, John stared into nothingness. His eyes were fixated on the cup in front of him and Angela didn't want to disturb him. He did receive a lot of information that she had already had a month to think about.

When he finally managed to raise his head, the coffee had already gone cold. He spoke up, asking something that surprised her. "Shouldn't you be at work?"

"I called in sick today", she explained.

"I don't want to keep you from your work", he said in an apologetic voice. "I know how important it is to you."

"Some people are more important than work", she said, staring straight into his eyes. She smiled at him, because how could she not? He was there with her. For her, even after what she had done.

As an answer she was captured into a hug, John's hands circling her back and pressing them tightly together. "I don't get it, you don't even mind that I broke into your house. You say you're happy to see me", he whispered softly. "I'm going to stay here with you."

Angela could feel a familiar warmth burning through her body at his words. "Here?" she asked with a small laugh. "What makes you think you can just stay at a woman's apartment as you want?"

"If Reyes is alive… He might come for you. I need to protect you", he said quietly.

Of course she would let him stay, even without a good reason. In fact, she wasn't planning on letting him go. Angela softly leaned her head on his shoulder. "You do realize that I can defend myself", she said.

"Unfortunately I experienced that first hand last night. But Reyes… He was the one to destroy the headquarters along with his organisation. He's working with Talon. He's dangerous."

Angela's eyes widened and she couldn't help visibly flinching at the name. "Talon? How could he? After everything that happened to Gerard and Amelie!" She pulled back just to see if he was being serious. A shiver ran down her spine. There wasn't even a drop of humour evident in his eyes.

"Are you sure it's safe to just stay here?" she asked. She hadn't really hidden her location well.

"No, but with Talon, I doubt anything is safe", he said. "Hiding in plain sight might be the best option, because we already know that they're going to be watching us the second we leave the building. Do you have some paper?"

Angela fetched some. He drew a very rough sketch of the area surrounding the building. "For now, there are cameras recording your every move here, here and here", John said, pointing at different locations on the street. "I doubt it's Reyes' doing, as Talon usually is spying on every one of the Overwatch agents in one way or another. At the moment you're an especially easy target since you're acting like a civilian."

"And you made sure not to be seen?" Angela asked, uncertainty lingering in her eyes.

"Absolutely", he assured. "I'm afraid you need to be sure to do the opposite. Make them think everything's completely normal."

Angela nodded in understanding. Gabriel was working with Talon… It didn't really change anything for her though. She was still going to do it.

Impressively enough John still managed to chug down the whole mug of cold coffee.

"What have you been up to during this month?" she asked him. He still looked rugged and also smelled bad, now that she thought about it. At least he had gotten some sleep. "I know you've been drinking."

"I went over to France for a while, but then came back. You know, bars are the best places to gather news from so of course I had to be located at them. Won some drinking games for money. Apparently this super soldier thing isn't too bad, since I have a high tolerance." The frown on his forehead deepened. "The news are getting worse day by day."

Angela nodded. She had noticed the same. "They're calling for the end of Overwatch."

"I hope it happens", John said. "I wish it was shut down and we could all live our lives in peace. Just imagine how many lives wouldn't have been lost without Overwatch."

"You're the last person who I thought would say something like that!" Angela exclaimed. "You're forgetting all those people's lives who were saved or changed by the organization - mine as well. Besides, terrorists such as Talon aren't just going to disappear into thin air - we need something to battle them."

John broke out in laughter, earning a bewildered look from her. "How the roles have changed."

Understanding what he pointed out, Angela smiled softly as well. They had, hadn't they?

 **A/N: I've been putting off the posting of this chapter since I don't really have much written for the next one, but I decided to post it now. Studies and general procrastination have led to me not writing as much. I hope it didn't reflect in the quality of the chapter!**

 **I'm so amazed by all the follows, favorites and reviews! They always give me a reason to smile like an idiot for a whole day after I checking them. Also, if you notice any grammar/spelling errors, please do note me, as I don't have a beta to correct stuff like that. Is time jumping confusing? Is the fluff weird? Are the characterizations okay? Leave a review if you have something or anything to say about the story! Thanks!**


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